You are not limited to only one way of cutting back on sodium in the foods you love. In Christy's case, she and her family really like Chinese dishes, but most commercially prepared dishes are just too high in sodium to eat regularly.

If the family decides they don't want to do without, however, Christy can do two things: make a delicious home-cooked version for weekly family dinners and buy a lower-sodium frozen brand for an occasional treat. With both strategies, she's effectively lessening the impact of that one dish on her and her family's overall sodium intake.

RETHINK, REPLACE, REDUCE AT HOME

ORIGINAL TOP HIGH-SODIUM FOODS (HIGHEST TO LOWEST)

SODIUM (MG)*

TAKE THIS ACTION …

FOR A SAVINGS OF …

frozen Chinese entrée (shrimp with garlic sauce)

1,350 per serving

RETHINK: Do without or

1,350

REPLACE: Buy or make a lower-sodium version at 780 mg

570

frozen Indian entrée (chicken biryani)

1,080 per serving

REDUCE: Buy half as often

(saving reached over time)

soy sauce

1,000 per 1 tbsp

REDUCE: Use half as much or

500

REPLACE: Buy a lower-sodium brand

450

chicken noodle soup, canned, condensed

890 per 1 cup prepared

RETHINK: Do without

890

chicken broth, low-fat

860 per 1 cup

REPLACE: Buy a lower-sodium brand or make Chicken Broth

290, 825

cream of mushroom soup, canned, condensed

830 per ½ cup condensed

REDUCE: Use less often or

830

REPLACE: Buy a lower-sodium brand

350

frozen shrimp, large (31–40 count)

805 per 3 oz

REPLACE: Buy a lower-sodium brand

580

cocktail sauce

760 per ¼ cup

REPLACE: Make Cocktail Sauce

410

organic brown rice pilaf mix

530 per ½ cup cooked

RETHINK: Do without

530

black beans, canned

460 per ½ cup

REPLACE: Buy a lower-sodium brand

250

*Sodium values have been rounded to the nearest 5 mg.

Opposite, you'll find a chart that illustrates how Christy combed her sodium-smart research for 10 of her high-sodium offenders so she could easily consider the best options for her family's lifestyle and food culture.